Born to Please
by Maple Pup
Summary: Leopardpaw is Ivypool's apprentice. She knows what it's like to have rivality with your sister.She also knows that Ivypool is afraid that Dovewing will be a much better mentor. Can Leopardpaw please Ivypool by showing the Clan that Ivypool is the best?


Chapter 1

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" At Bramblestar's call, Leopardkit gave a bounce of excitement. Today, she and her sister, Gracekit, were going to be made apprentices!

As the cat of ThunderClan began to mill around the Highledge, Squirrelflight smoothed down a patch of Leopardkit's golden tabby fur and briskly licked Gracekit's soft light brown fur. "Go and look at ourselves in the puddle outside of the nursery." Their mother mewed.

Leopardkit stared her and Gracekit's reflections. Gracekit's amber eyes sparkled and her brown tabby pelt gleamed in the sunshine. Her white chest and paws looked like leafbare's new snow. Leopardkit didn't recognize her reflection. A sleek golden tabby cat stared back at her. The cat in the puddle had emerald eyes that looked just like Squirrelflight's.

Gracekit nudged her sister. "It's time!" She whispered happily. "We're going to be made apprentices in a few moments!"

The kits walked forward calmly, but they were bursting with excitement. They would be sleeping in the apprentices' den tonight!

They stood side by side as Bramblestar jumped down from the Highledge. "Today we have gathered here to appoint two new apprentices." He glanced at Leopardkit.

"Leopardkit, until you become a warrior your name will be Leopardpaw." His amber eyes seemed to smile at her. After all, she was his daughter. He waited as the Clan chanted her name and then continued. "Ivypool, you will mentor Leopardpaw. You know how to deal with sister rivalry and stubbornness, so help this apprentice keep it under control."

Ivypool touched noses with her new apprentice. "I'll help you become the best apprentice in the Clan." She vowed, her dark blue eyes shining. "I hear you like learning new battle moves."

"Yes!" Leopardpaw meowed happily. "That's the best part about becoming an apprentice. Hunting's okay and taking care of the elders is horrible!" She changed the subject. "So who is Gracepaw's mentor?"

"Haven't you been listening?" Ivypool looked amused. "Bramblestar just announced that Dovewing is mentoring your sister." She sighed. "She's going to be an awesome mentor and with her powers, she'll be able to know exactly where Gracepaw is, even if she's all the way in RiverClan."

"Dovewing can track Gracepaw everywhere and has special powers?" Leopardpaw asked excitedly. "What else can she do?"

Her mentor looked troubled. "Forget that I said that," she meowed, looking embarrassed. "Dovewing just has really sharp senses."

"Okay, "Leopardpaw replied. Thoughts ran through her head at a million miles a minute. _Ivypool has a secret. She and Dovewing do. What kind of powers does Dovewing have other then super-senses. Can she fly or run super fast or- _

"We're going to go practice battle training in the mossy hollow." Ivypool interrupted Leopardpaw's thoughts. "We'll have you fighting like a warrior in no time."

"Great!" Leopardpaw mewed enthusiastically. "Let's go!" She dashed through the thorn barrier. Ivypool followed more slowly and then took the lead. Leopardpaw followed her mentor, not knowing which way to go. _I'll know next time._ She vowed to herself. _And I'll make Ivypool proud._ She had heard that Ivypool had been put down because her sister was so talented. But that didn't mean that she wasn't as good as Dovewing. She would train really hard so that everybody would think that Ivypool was the best mentor in the Clan. _Gracepaw and I won't be rivals like that. We'll be best friends forever, no matter what._ Leopardpaw decided. Maybe Dovewing and Ivypool weren't very close as apprentices, but Leopardpaw and her sister would be.

They finally reached the mossy hollow. Cherrypaw and her mentor, Rosepetal were there, along Molepaw and his mentor, Berrynose. Rosepetal was showing her apprentice a complex battle move. Leopardpaw listened with interest. You had to jab your enemy's tendon and then use that movement of surprise to flip him over. She watched as Berrynose jabbed Rosepetal's tendon and then flipped her over. She wanted to try that out.

"Hold still," she meowed to Molepaw. He looked bewildered, but stood silently. Leopardpaw dove and jabbed his tendon. His leg buckled and she used that moment to flip him. She placed a paw on his belly and growled, "Admit defeat."

"Okay, okay, you win." Leopardpaw let Molepaw up. He shook his pelt out and then turned to her. "Nice moves there. How do you do it?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "Battle moves come naturally to me."

"That was really good." Berrynose stood by his apprentice. "I wish Molepaw could fight as well as you." He then turned to Molepaw. "But you are an excellent hunter."

Molepaw puffed up with pride. Berrynose didn't give praise lightly. "Cherrypaw is the fighter. She can do battle moves _and_ hunt well."

"You're just as good as your sister." Rosepetal came to stand beside Berrynose. "Stop putting yourself down and think of what you can do."

"Okay," Molepaw brightened. "Can Leopardpaw practice with us?"

"Sure," Ivypool replied. Then she got a funny look on her face. "Let's have a mock battle and see how the apprentices do."

"Great idea!" Cherrypaw mewed. "Let's start!"

Leopardpaw curled up in her nest. Her shoulders ached from battle practice. Ivypool had worked her hard. After a eating a squirrel, she had collapsed in the apprentices' den. Cherrypaw had lined her nest with downy feathers. The comfort lulled her, and she soon fell asleep.


End file.
